Elevator Pitch: An essential tool

Everyone knows that a job seeker must have a well-written resume to be seriously considered for employment. Did you know there are a few other tools you need to have at hand with the same degree of preparedness to greatly improve your chances of finding THE right job?

I believe you need:
1. A concise statement you can use to describe what you do. My wife asked me this very question over the weekend: “When someone asks me, what should I tell them that you do, exactly?” My wife is a pharmacist for a large chain store. I answered, “Tell them I sell debt collection services.” When someone asks what you do or what kind of job you are looking for, what do you say? Of course, if you’re an accountant, an engineer, or an admin assistant, most people understand those jobs. The challenges come in when you have been an analyst of some flavor, or something like that which doesn’t lend itself to a simple explanation. This is what you’d tell someone you meet at a party or in an elevator when you only have a few seconds to pique their interest in learning more about you (More on this later.)

2. A Two minute drill to walk someone through your career in brief. Based on what I’ve learned from people smarter than me, I wrote out my two-minute drill with a step by step plan on how you can write about yours here. A Two minute drill isn’t what you’d tell someone in an elevator, really.

3. A written explanation of what you offer a prospective employer. This should be about 25 words (a little longer than a 140 character tweet.) At the First Methodist Employment Transition Group we use this to tell people we know about the candidates who are in the group.


YOUR CONCISE STATEMENT
This statement should go hand in hand with a well-written resume. My definition of a well-written resume includes:
· Specific accomplishments that you were responsible for at work
· Quantifiable results whenever possible
· More than just a list of job responsibilities – every should be able to understand what you were supposed to do. The question is how well did you do it and can you do that and other things well for another employer?

So let’s assume you have a well written resume in hand so now it’s just a matter of pulling a few of those things out to be able to speak them clearly.

Think of this like an article in a newspaper with several of the same elements:
· Headline: Tell them what you do.
· High level overview: Explain what you do and what specifically you bring to the table that is different from someone else they might consider.
· One or two specific examples or facts to back up your claim that you’re good at what you do.
· Call to action:
o Is this something you or someone you know might have an interest in discussing further?
o I am trying to connect with more people beyond those that I already know. Could I call your office to schedule 20 minutes with you to get your input and advice?

I hope this is helpful. OJT meets at Asbury at 6:30pm on the third Tuesday of the month.


We offer breakout sessions on:
Developing a strategic plan
Resumes
Networking: both contacts for you and some help with the “how to”
Using the internet well: One hour on LinkedIn and another on everything else
Interview practice
Spouse support group

Please share this information with others. If you have recently been hired – or been hired and forgot to let me know – please drop me a note. I’d love to know what made the difference for you!